Career Fair Preparation

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Career Fair Preparation
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Fall 2009 Basic Facts

• Thursday, September 24, 2008
• Noon-3pm
• Levin Ballroom
• Over 70 employers Recruiting

Dont wait until 230pm to attend. Some
employers may leave early to avoid rush-hour
traffic or begin a long drive home.
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Preparation

• Professional Dress
• Review of Available Employers Opportunities
• Prioritization of Employers
• Approaching an employer
• Firm Handshake
• Focused and General Introduction Approach
• Conversation Preparation
• Practical Advice

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Professional Dress

• Dressing well shows respect for the interview
  process. casual dress would communicate that you
  dont take teaching or yourself seriously, and do
  not respect the organizations representatives
  and interviewers.
• Professionally dressed means

No matter what you wear, make sure that it fits
properly! If you have questions about dress, ask
a staff member at Hiatt.
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• Women
• Suit (skirt or pant)
• Dress blouse or sweater
• Pumps
• Nylons
• NO No large jewelry or piercing (except for
  small earrings), perfume, jeans, sweats,
  tank-tops, sneakers, flip-flops, sandals,
  outwardly visible underwear or tattoos, or
  showing midriffs/stomachs or cleavage

• Men
• Suit
• Button-down dress shirt (white or blue)
• Dress Shoes (dark socks)
• NO No large jewelry or piercing, cologne, jeans,
  sweats, sneakers, flip-flops, sandals, outwardly
  visible underwear or tattoos, or showing
  midriffs/stomachs

Looking professional also means being well
groomed. Be sure to shower, wash your hair and
have a neat appearance.
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Review Employers Jobs

• Visit the Hiatt NACElink to review the
  organizations attending the fair and the
  positions they have available.
• If an employer sounds interesting be sure to
  visit their website to learn more about it.

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Prioritization

• As you review the list of organizations and
  identify which organizations you would like to
  speak with, rank them
• A Your top choice, dream employers
• B Very interesting employers
• C Employers that might be worth a visit
• D-F Not worth your time

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Approaching an Employer

• Firm Handshake This may seem like a relatively
  small detail, but know that job offers are lost
  by a poor handshake. Employers first impressions
  are often based on your appearance and your
  handshake. A weak handshake communicates that
  you are disinterested, unconfident and
  inexperienced. Practice with your friends.

As you approach an employer, be sure to smile and
make eye contact.
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Introduction Approach

• As you approach employers you will need to
  introduce yourself. You want to come across as
  organized and articulate. So, plan what you will
  say in advance.
• For your A and B employers, think about the
  skills/characteristics that you have that best
  qualify you for the position you want, and the
  characteristics of the organization or position
  that most interest you. Integrate this
  information into a brief introduction.

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Conversation Preparation

• Think about experiences that demonstrate your
  skills, and prepare to share them in a concise
  way. One way to do that is to use the following
  outline
• Situation- Where were you working? What was the
  assignment?
• Task- What was your responsibility? What was your
  job or role?
• Action- What did you do?
• Result- What was the outcome?

Think of your top 5 skills and think of 3
examples each that demonstrate/ prove that you
have that skill.
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Practical Advice

• Many employers will ask you to submit your
  application via their website. This is not a
  dismissal. Many employers operationalize their
  adherence to Federal Equal Employment Opportunity
  Laws by having a standard application submission
  policy, i.e., their website. Career fair
  representatives will go back to their office and
  search their resume database for Brandeis to
  find the students with whom they spoke at the
  career fair.

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Practical Advice

• Prepare at least one question per employer and
  visit two B employers to practice your
  introduction skills before you visit your A
  employers.
• Take breaks! After visiting 2-3 employers, rest
  a few minutes, take notes and prepare for your
  next set of conversations.
• When concluding a conversation with an employer,
  ask for her/his business card so that you may
  send a thank you note. Feel free to offer
  him/her your business card.

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Practical Advice

• Do not prioritize collecting free trinkets over
  getting a job Ignore the free pens. You dont
  want to appear unprofessional as you approach a
  table.
• Carry as little as possible Try to bring only a
  small portfolio or folder, with your resumes and
  a pad of paper. You dont want to be distracted,
  juggling a portfolio, briefcase and backpack at
  the event.
• Do not travel in a pack Your goal is to draw
  attention to yourself as an individual.

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Hiatt Contact Informationhttp//www.brandeis.edu/
hiatt

• Hiatt Career Center
• Brandeis University
• USDAN 15-MS204
• 415 South Street
• Waltham, MA 02454
• hiattcenter_at_brandeis.edu
• Telephone [phone]
• Fax [phone]